Why Does Music Sound Better At Night?

As the kids like to say, music just hits differently at night. It's not just because of the glass of wine you poured or because you're out with your friends having fun and dancing. It's not that the music has more bass in it at night or anything.

You've likely got more gunk in your ear at the end of the day compared to the start of it. So why does it seem like the music is so much more enjoyable after dark? 

You Are More Relaxed At Night

Although you may be out with your friends, maybe having a drink or other drug of choice, you were likely more relaxed once the nighttime came around before you started partaking in your evening activities.

Our minds are on 100 when we first start our days, worried about work, school, people, and so much more. Yes, we can sometimes be kept up at night with stress, but the stress is often less than what you started with.

You've likely gotten through your to-do list for the day and can wind down some in your brain.

Once your brain isn't going crazy trying to think about a million different things, you have more headspace to sit and enjoy the music. You have more ability to hear each element in the song and really connect yourself with the music. 

Related Post: What Is A Nocturne? Exploring The Enchantment Behind The Form

You May Be Confusing Louder For Better

If you enjoy loud music at night in a club environment or with some great headphones, you may confuse this for better music. Yes, music can be better when you turn it up, but it's not that the song itself is better. You can just hear things more clearly.

During the day, you probably don't have the time or the schedule to be able to sit and listen to loud music. The one time for this may be in your car, which many people also like to say is when music sounds better. But it's just louder! 

Related Post: The Best Ear Protection To Avoid Damage From Loud Music

There Are Fewer Audio Distractions At Night 

The reason louder music seems like it's better is that you can hear everything more clearly. But this same effect can happen when you simply have a lower noise floor in your environment.

The hustle and bustle of daytime can include loud neighbors, loud traffic, other people's loud music, construction, and so much more that can make for a lot of background noise.

At night, these noises aren't there to distract you from hearing your music well. In this case, your music can be at the same volume but just sound better without less in the way. 

There Are Less Emphasis On Visuals At Night

When driving, do you find that you need to turn the volume down when you are parking? Our senses can all work at the same time, but we tend to focus most of our energy on one sense at a time, while other senses can take a loss.

In the daylight, your eyes are processing a lot of information that is happening around you. At night, your eyes need to focus less, which allows your hearing power to be even more intense and focused. 

Electrical Power Can Be Cleaner At Night 

Electrical tech people may sound like they are insane when they mention this; they claim that electrical energy, especially in city settings, can become cleaner at night with less interference when most people are winding down and using fewer electronics.

To me, this sounds like it makes sense, but it could be a bit of a stretch at the same time. Let's dive a bit deeper into this with my research from studying electrician Paul McGowan, and you'll see why professionals may be onto something. 

A lot of music players rely on AC power. When your powering systems are under high load, which normally occurs during the daytime, this stress can cause large voltage drops. Voltage in music playback has a direct effect on sound quality.

Hi-resolution music players, also known as HiFi players, often rely on expensive power supplies to give high performance.

So, according to this theory, when your power supply and voltage aren't up to par, your music won't sound as good. 

Related Post: Why Does Music Sound Faster At Night?